HOT NOTES
BUY DESIGN FOR 54
Dust off the sequined tube top, as Studio 54 garb is encouraged for this fifth annual gala for Windfall Clothing Service (a local charity that donates new clothing and new household items to shelters, refugees and the disabled). Hosted by Adrian Mainella of Fashion File, there will be cocktails, a fashion installation, a silent and live auction and professional disco dancers reminding you how to point and do the hustle.
Tonight, 8. $75 in advance, $80 at the door. Fermenting Cellar, Distillery District, 55 Mill St. 416-703-8435. http://www.buydesignforwindfall.ca.
OVER THE TOP FESTIVAL
Most of the events at this five-day fest - which features 37 bands and 17 films - are all ages, so bring the emo tweens in eyeliner. Among the acts, Kevin Barnes, front man of the Georgia-based poppy, electro-folk band Of Montreal will play a rare solo show alongside music-related films such as I Think We're Alone Now, which follows the lives of crazed Tiffany fans.
Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. to 12 a.m., until May 4. $6 to $25. Sneaky Dee's, 431 College St., and eight other venues.
http://www.overthetopfest.com .
NORTHERN STATE
Spero, Hesta Prynn and Sprout - a trio of female emcees from Long Island - add new-wave and electro influences to their rap/punk sound on their latest album, Can I Keep This Pen?, which features production from the Beastie Boys' Ad-Rock.
Tonight, 7. $15. Mod Club, 722 College St. W. 416-870-8000. http://www.ticketmaster.ca
KATE NASH
The latest Cockney songbird to parlay MySpace stardom into international fame, Nash's piano-driven pop, influenced by sixties girl groups and folk/punk collaborator Billy Bragg, has earned her a spot on the NME Awards tour.
Monday, 8 p.m. $17.50. The Phoenix Concert Theatre, 410 Sherbourne St. 416-870-8000. http://www.ticketmaster.ca.
BLOWJOB
Not a porno night, but the elements are there. From now on, every last Sunday of the month will have DJ Kira and wacky performance artist Ulysses Castellanos at the turntables spinning "forgotten anthems" from the grandiose 1970s prog-rock, soft-rock and cock-rock era. On a makeshift screen, find a selection of retro sex-ed films, one of which instructs on how to prevent chlamydia.
Tomorrow, 10 p.m. Free. Mitzi's Sister, 1554 Queen St. W.
416-532-2570.
ART & LIT
TIM FALCONER
This Ryerson journo prof introduces his latest book with Penguin/Ben McNally Books, Drive: A Road Trip Through Our Complicated Affair with the Automobile. This tome chronicles the writer's love-hate relationship with the wheel after he filled his old clunker with gas in the fall of 2006, and pointed his headlights to Los Angeles.
Tuesday, 7 p.m. Free. Cadillac Lounge, 1296 Queen St. W.
416-536-7717. http://www.penguin.ca.
ANDRÉ ALEXIS,
Steven Galloway &
Andrew O'Hagan
Three novelists take on prisons, war and small-town scandal in their new works: André Alexis reads from Asylum, Steven Galloway from The Cellist of Sarajevo, and Scottish author Andrew O'Hagan from
Be Near Me. BookTelevision's
Rachel Harry hosts.
Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. $8.
Brigantine Room, York Quay Centre, 235 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000.
TORONTO NOIR
What's the most "noir" thing you've ever done? From late-night, rain-soaked rendezvous in seedy hotels to lurid acts in Rosedale mansions, the co-editors and contributors of Toronto Noir, the latest in Akashic Books' crime-fiction city series, host an evening of "Noir Confessions."
Monday, 7:30 p.m. Free.
The Gladstone Hotel,
1214 Queen St. W. 416-531-4635.
Winning at Crime
Crime does pay, after all. Leading fictional-crime writers Giles Blunt, Emma Cole and others discuss their page-turnable craft at an event that includes the announcement of the finalists for this year's Arthur Ellis Awards.
Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. Free.
Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge St.
EAT & DRINK
Food for the Masses:
A Queer-Friendly
Nutrition Night
This month's Java Knights gathering features Doug Cook, a dietitian at St. Michael's Hospital, who will tell you how to eat healthier by combining science with a holistic approach. Bring Grandma's lasagna recipe for a swap afterward. Please RSVP.
Tuesday, 7 p.m. Free. The Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W. 416-531-4635. RSVP to
FILM
THE IDEA OF NORTH
Glenn Gould would have turned 75 this year, and Cinematheque Ontario celebrates with a series on the eccentric pianist. Norman McLaren's Spheres, set to Gould playing Bach, follows The Idea of North, the 1970 film version of Gould's cutting-edge radio documentary.
Tonight, 7. $11.56. Jackman Hall, Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas St. W. 416-968-FILM. http://www.cinemathequeontario.ca
STAGES
IDOMENEO
Superstar soprano Measha Brueggergosman makes her Mozart debut as Elettra in the 1781 epic set in ancient Greece, also starring Michael Maniaci. Andrew Parrott conducts the baroque Tafelmusik Orchestra, playing on period instruments.
Tonight, 7:30, through May 3. $30 to $165. Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge St. 416-872-5555. http://www.ticketmaster.ca.
FAMILY
SING & DANCE WITH
JACK GRUNSKY
The children's singer - imagine a jazz- and reggae-tinged Raffi - entertains kids ages 3 to 8 with his hugely popular show, a mix of global sounds that's sure to get little hands clapping along to the beat.
Tomorrow, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. $19 to $22. Village Playhouse, 2190 Bloor St. W. 416-368-8031. http://www.solarstage.on.ca.
STREET
SPRING SPRINT
Walk, jog, or, if you feel sufficiently vigorous, sprint. The Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada's annual five-kilometre run at Sunnybrook Park kicks off this morning. Brain-tumour survivors in blue shirts will be there to share their stories.
Today, 9 to 11 a.m. Free. Sports Pavilion, Sunnybrook Park. 1-800-265-5106.
International Dance Day
Would you call it square dancing? In honour of the world-wide day of dancing, the Dance Umbrella of Ontario presents an array of companies for an afternoon of free performances, talks and instruction at Dundas Square. But the b-boy throwdowns happening there? Hardly square.
Tomorrow, 1 to 5 p.m. Free.
CRAFTS
DOWNTOWN KNIT COLLECTIVE KNITTER'S FROLIC
Knitting geeks will be frothing at the mouth for this 11th annual gathering, where a 50-vendor marketplace will host rare finds that put Fabricland to shame - most notably yarn from the independent Wellington Fibres mill from Elora - as well as books, needles, mohair and raw fibre. About 25 classes will help transcend sweater-pattern skills, while intro classes help beginners with baby steps.
Today, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., tomorrow 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. $5 for marketplace admission. Classes range from $25 to $85, pre-registration recommended. Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, 6 Garamond Court.
905-839-3158.
http://www.downtownknitcollective.ca.
Send listings info to
Brad Wheeler